Brodeur grew up close to the game of ice hockey. His father, Denis Brodeur, was a member of Canada’s 1956 bronze medal-winning Olympic team and a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. The younger Brodeur was a first-round choice of the 1990 NHL entry draft and signed with the New Jersey Devils. His breakout season occurred in 1993–94, when he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie, having recorded a 2.40 goals against average (GAA) for the season and a 1.95 GAA during the 17 play-off games.

In 1994–95 he helped his team win the Stanley Cup championship, compiling a record of 19 wins, 11 losses, and 6 ties during the 48-game season, which had been shortened because of a lockout by team owners. He subsequently became a fixture in goal for the Devils and in the NHL’s All-Star Game; between the 1997–98 and 2007–08 seasons, he played in at least 70 regular-season games each year. An excellent stickhandler, Brodeur in 1997 became the second goaltender in NHL history to score a goal in a play-off game. He also led the Devils to Stanley Cup victories in 2000 and 2003. Brodeur was a member of Team Canada in the Olympic Games of 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010. At the Salt Lake City 2002 Games he played a significant role in the team’s gold medal win. Two years after winning Olympic gold, Brodeur helped Team Canada win the World Cup championships. He won a second Olympic gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Games.

Throughout his career Brodeur earned numerous honours and broke many records. He won the Vezina Trophy for the league’s most outstanding goaltender four times (2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, and 2007–08). He holds the record for 40-win seasons (8) and most consecutive 30-win seasons (12). In March 2009 Brodeur became the all-time winningest NHL goalie, passing Patrick Roy with his 552nd victory. In December 2009 he played in his 1,030th regular season game, an all-time NHL record for a goaltender. Later that month Brodeur set another record when he registered his 104th shutout, surpassing the mark set by Terry Sawchuk.

Martin Brodeur (right; no. 30) defending his net during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks in …

In the second decade of the new millennium, Brodeur’s play began to fall off. By the 2013–14 season, he was serving as the Devils’ backup goaltender. His contract with the Devils expired at the end of that season, and in December 2014 he signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. He appeared in just six games with St. Louis before retiring in January 2015 and taking a position in the Blues’ front office.

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